Is 303 Leadership & Community Service, Bronx NY

Original Research by School Decision on Is 303 Leadership & Community Service

IS 303 Leadership & Community Service is a public middle school in the Bronx serving grades six through eight. The school sits in the northwest Bronx on Macombs Road and is part of New York City Geographic District 9. Its enrollment is small for a middle school, distributed across the three grades, with a student body that is predominantly Hispanic and Black, and nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

The school's academic results show consistent but modest proficiency. In English language arts, about a third to half of students tested at proficiency across grades six through eight, with eighth grade performing somewhat stronger than sixth grade. Math proficiency is uneven: sixth-grade proficiency is particularly low, seventh grade shows nearly a half of students proficient, and eighth grade has no state test result on file, likely reflecting the grade's particular testing eligibility in the state. Eighth-grade science proficiency sits around two-fifths. The school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile relative to other districts in Bronx County, meaning more students are working below proficiency than at most neighboring schools. A parent may want to look further into the school's academic supports and instructional approach, especially for sixth-grade math readiness.

The school's official name reflects a stated emphasis on community service and leadership development, which may be part of its instructional programming, though specific details about courses, clubs, or program structure were not available in the data reviewed. Similarly, information on special education services, English learner supports, attendance patterns, and school discipline policies was not provided. The location on the city's transit-served streets in the northwest Bronx places the school within a neighborhood of mixed residential character and commercial activity, anchored by institutions like Montefiore Medical Center to the north and served by multiple subway lines.

District 9 has recently undergone curriculum mandates affecting how middle schools teach reading and math. Under the NYC Reads and NYC Solves initiatives, District 9 middle schools including this one are now required to use specific approved curriculums: EL Education for math and either EL Education or Wit and Wisdom for English language arts. This represents a shift from schools' prior autonomy to choose their own programs and may affect teaching methods and pacing. The district also experienced significant enrollment declines over recent years, particularly at the elementary and middle school levels, though enrollment has stabilized more recently. These shifts in curriculum and enrollment scale are context for families considering the school's trajectory and resource environment.

The broader Bronx is experiencing robust growth in affordable housing, with major waterfront and infill developments and expanded transit access planned. Housing values in the school's zip code are above New York State benchmarks. The borough's civic infrastructure includes major parks, libraries, and hospitals, and is walkable in many neighborhoods, with commercial corridors like White Plains Road and transit hubs anchoring daily life. None of this directly determines school quality, but it shapes the community the school serves and the families it attracts.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

New York Regents Exams

1 course reported · 2024-25

End-of-course exams required for a New York Regents diploma. Each row shows the cohort size and the share of students scoring at the proficient level or higher.

Course	Students tested	% proficient
Math	110	43.0%

Math

Grade 625%

School 25% · District 28% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 745%

School 45% · District 42% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 80%

School 0% · District 45% · ▼ 45 pts below district

▼ 37 pts below state median · ▼ 37 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 637%

School 37% · District 32% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 746%

School 46% · District 39% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 844%

School 44% · District 41% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Science

Grade 842%

School 42% · District 38% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 840%

School 40% · district not reported

▼ 38 pts below state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

This schoolNEW YORK CITY GEOGRAPHIC DISTRICT # 9, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.